Kaeli Conforti Title: Quality Editor, Travel + Leisure Education: University of South Florida St. Petersburg Location: Washington, D.C. Expertise: Solo, budget, and adventure travel; Australia and New Zealand Kaeli Conforti is a DC–based freelance writer and editor with more than 15 years of experience covering solo, budget, family, and adventure travel for Budget Travel, Forbes, Frommer’s, Fodor’s, Business Insider, CNBC Select, Thrillist, Mental Floss, Million Mile Secrets, and The Points Guy, among other travel sites.Kaeli authored the 2024 edition of "Frommer’s Easy Guide to Washington, D.C." as well as the hotels, nightlife, and day trips chapters of the previous edition, and the Outback chapter of "Fodor’s Essential Australia." Her greatest adventures include a two-month solo backpacking trip around Southeast Asia, a two-month solo road trip through the Australian Outback and Western Australia, and a two-month solo road trip around New Zealand’s South Island. Experience Originally from Queens in New York City, Kaeli grew up in Hawaii and Florida, and moved back to New York in 2010 to pursue a life-changing editorial internship with Budget Travel, which launched her career as an editor. Following a five-year stint at BT, she spent two years as Senior Editor at The Points Guy, heading up the travel section and becoming an expert in all things credit cards and points and miles.In January 2018, Kaeli became a freelance writer and editor, sold and donated nearly all her belongings, and embraced the digital nomad lifestyle, backpacking around Southeast Asia for two months before beginning her two-year Working Holiday Visa adventure in Australia and New Zealand. She returned to the U.S. in March 2020 and is now based in Washington, D.C., where she works as a Quality Editor for Dotdash Meredith and writes about travel for anyone who will let her. Solo travel is incredibly empowering and allows you to truly be the boss of your own adventure. Education Kaeli has a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications and Journalism from the University of South Florida St. Petersburg and is a proud member of the Kappa Tau Alpha Journalism Honor Society. About Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure, a Dotdash Meredith Brand, is a top travel media brand with a mission to inform and inspire passionate travelers. Our expert team includes a network of hundreds of writers and photographers across the globe, all providing a local eye on the best places to stay, eat, and explore. We reach an audience that takes 76 million round trips annually, offering valuable travel tips, ideas and inspiration, and products you need to get you to your destination — whether it’s a small town or big city, beach or lake, national park or theme park, road trip, cruise, or long-haul flight, and everything in between. Learn more about us and our editorial process